Flight or Fright
17 Turbulent Tales Edited by Stephen King and Bev Vincent
Ratings8
Average rating3.4
Fasten your seatbelts for an anthology of turbulent tales curated by Stephen King and Bev Vincent. This exciting new collection, perfect for airport or aeroplane reading, includes an original introduction and story notes for each story by Stephen King, and brand new stories from Stephen King and Joe Hill. Stephen King hates to fly. Now he and co-editor Bev Vincent would like to share this fear of flying with you. Welcome to Flight or Fright, an anthology about all the things that can go horribly wrong when you're suspended six miles in the air, hurtling through space at more than 500 mph and sealed up in a metal tube (like - gulp! - a coffin) with hundreds of strangers. All the ways your trip into the friendly skies can turn into a nightmare, including some we'll bet you've never thought of before... but now you will the next time you walk down the jetway and place your fate in the hands of a total stranger. Featuring brand new stories by Joe Hill and Stephen King, as well as fourteen classic tales and one poem from the likes of Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Dan Simmons, and many others, Flight or Fright is, as King says, "ideal airplane reading, especially on stormy descents... Even if you are safe on the ground, you might want to buckle up nice and tight." Book a flight for this terrifying new anthology that will have you thinking twice about how you want to reach your final destination. Table of Contents: Introduction by Stephen King Cargo by E. Michael Lewis The Horror of the Heights by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow Air Raid by John Varley You Are Released by Joe Hill Warbirds by David J. Schow The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King Falling by James L. Dickey Afterword by Bev Vincent
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I am not afraid of flying; at worst I find it annoying, depending on who's sitting next to me. Normally I just find it boring.
That being said, there are some spine-chilling stories and movies about flying. King's own The Langoliers comes to mind. Also, the plane crash in Dean Koontz's Cold Fire is harrowing.
This collection, however, doesn't chill much.
The stories one by one:
Cargo by E. Michael Lewis: Great set-up without any payoff.
The Horror of the Heights by Arthur Conan Doyle: Could have been decent, but the telling instead of showing kinda killed it.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet by Richard Matheson: Maybe the best-known story in the collection, if not just because it has been filmed a few times. The story isn't as intense. Nor Matheson's best work.
The Flying Machine by Ambrose Bierce: Not even half a page and doesn't really do anyhting.
Lucifer! by E.C. Tubb: This one was really good. I predicted the outcome, but liked it nonetheless.
The Fifth Category by Tom Bissell: Maybe the most boring of the lot, almost nothing but politics... I guess. I zoned out.
Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds by Dan Simmons: Maybe I just didn't get it, but there was noting to this story at all.
Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow: Maybe the must straight up horror tale in the collection, but it was really really bad. Tried to be scary and gross and failed on all accounts.
Air Raid by John Varley: Fun idea that didn't quite reach its potential.
You Are Released by Joe Hill: Maybe the best of the bunch. It made me anxious and had well-rounded characters despite the short form.
Warbirds by David J. Schow: Talk, flashback, talk. There may or may not be a giant bird awakened by war(?!??). Bad and boring and too much war stuff.
The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury: A fun little thing, but no biggie. Sadly, since Ray Bradbury has written some really scary stories.
Zombies on a Plane by Bev Vincent: Nothing happens! Only discussions about where it's safe to go, a guy dies, the end.
They Shall Not Grow Old by Roald Dahl: Again, a lot of war talk... sigh... Also, again, the telling not showing kills it.
Murder in the Air by Peter Tremayne: Fun idea, but stupid conclusion, and the killer is obvious from the moment he/she is on the page.
The Turbulence Expert by Stephen King: Very Twilight Zone-ish. Not scary, but an interesting story.
Falling by James Dickey: A poem based on a true story. Annoyingly written and spaced, so much so I was wondering if something went wrong in print or I was reading it wrong. Bad.
So, 3 out of 17 stories worked for me. That's not a good score.
This is a satisfying collection, with a few true standouts, most notably Diablitos by Cody Goodfellow and You Are Released by Joe Hill - both of which were easily 5-star stories.
A nice little collection of short stories centred around, yes you've guessed it, flying. If you weren't afraid of flying before reading this, you may have a change of heart after. I've never been on a plane, ever. I may just keep it that way.
